Tom Hanks to star in Broadway's 'Lucky Guy'

By Caitlin Caffrey

Fri, Oct 12th 2012 2:58 pm EDT

Well-known American actor, Tom Hanks will be making his Broadway premiere as the star of the late Nora Ephron's play "Lucky Guy." The show is set to open its doors beginning the night of April 1, 2013 and will be directed by two-time Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe. Additional members of the cast are likely to be released in the next few weeks.

Set in the 1980's, "Lucky Guy" will tell the story of New York City through the voice Mike McAlary, a compelling and controversial tabloid correspondent. According to Broadwayworld.com, the play brings drama to the story of McAlary's life, following his amazing coverage of the New York City happenings including: major police corruption, the libel suit that almost ended his career, and the last scandalous news story he covered on the Abner Loumia case that won him the Pulitzer Prize.

USA Today notes, "A press release for the production describes the play as 'a return to (Ephron's) journalistic roots,' documenting 'the scandal-and-graffiti-ridden New York of the 1980s,' as told through 'the charismatic and controversial' McAlary's story."

Hanks originally began his career with live performances at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. He moved to New York City in 1978 to further his acting career, becoming a regular performer with the Riverside Shakespeare Company. Shortly following his move to New York, Hanks began his film career. Some of his most well-known movies include: Big, Forrest Gump, Sleepless in Seattle, Saving Private Ryan, Angels and Demons, and The Da Vinci Code. In addition to his Broadway debut, Hanks also has a new film that will hit theatres soon titled Cloud Atlas.

Before her death, Norah Ephron, drew experience from her journalist years to create the story of "Lucky Guy." She was the winner of three Academy Awards. Throughout her career, Ephron was the writer of multiple popular films, including This is My Life, Sleepless in Seattle, Bewitched, You've Got Mail and most recently, Julie and Julia. She is also credited for writing the Broadway play, "Imaginary Friends." Previous to her script-writing days, Ephron was well known as a New York Post journalist, and contributor to Esquire, the New York Times magazine.

Hanks worked with Ephron in the past, both Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. The pair was in the negotiation stage for the play, when Ephron's untimely passing occurred. Director George C. Wolfe's past experiences include Broadway performances such as "Angels in America," "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk" and "The Normal Heart."

The performances will be held beginning April 1 at the Broadhurst Theatre, located at 235 West 44 Street in New York City. It is expected that an announcement will be made soon in regards to when tickets will be available to the general public. Often Broadway shows with Hollywood stars run for a brief period due to their personal conflicts, and it is expected that ticket prices may be a bit higher than a typical show. Previews for the show are scheduled to begin March 1.